Preserving valuable but unmaintained codebases
A curated collection of abandoned or deprecated GitHub repositories that still hold historical significance, practical utility, or educational value. This project ensures continued access to important software artifacts that risk being lost.
- Historical preservation: Maintain access to important milestones in software development
- Reference material: Provide working examples of older technologies and paradigms
- Continuity: Prevent knowledge loss when original maintainers move on
- Research: Enable study of software evolution patterns
All archived repositories are automatically synchronized with their original upstream sources using GitHub Actions. The synchronization runs on a daily schedule to capture updates while they're still available.
| Repository | Original Author | Last Update | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| classic-project | @original-dev | 2014-02-15 | Foundational framework |
| deprecated-toolkit | @early-contrib | 2016-11-03 | Still functional in modern environments |
| obsolete-system | @pioneer | 2012-08-21 | Important reference architecture |
To nominate a repository for inclusion:
- Open an Issue containing:
- Original repository URL
- Justification for preservation
- Current maintenance status
- Ensure the repository meets these criteria:
- No active maintenance (2+ years without commits)
- Significant technical or historical value
- Proper open-source licensing
- Original attribution maintained: All credit remains with original authors
- Zero modifications: Repositories are archived as-is
- Non-commercial: Purely educational/historical purpose
- License compliance: Only properly licensed repositories accepted
- Transparency: Clear documentation of archival rationale
"Old software is the archaeology of the information age" - Anonymous